The Castle was founded in 1400 by Louis II, Count of Provence, Duke of Anjou and claimant to the Kingdom of Naples. It is built of free stone in the Gothic style. It is in very good preservation and, although used as a prison, is the principal ornament of the town. Tarascon is remarkable for its chateau, the ancient residence of the Counts of Provence and commonly called King Rene's castle. Tartarin, similar to his fellow citizens, is mad for hunting, an inheritance from the ancient dragon-hunting days, and ends up by killing a tamed blind lion. Today Tarascon is more easily associated with Tartarin, the hero of an 1872 novel by Alphonse Daudet. The ceremony was attended by numerous practical jokes and led to acts of violence, in consequence of which it has been suppressed. William Coxe - Galignani's Traveller's Guide Through France -1819 Imprudent persons and strangers who are ignorant of this savage custom run the risk of their lives many have been killed and the procession of the tarasque always occasions some accident. Those whom curiosity draws too near often receive violent contusions the inhabitants of Tarascon then seem enchanted with the prowess of their monster, far from feeling any compassion for those who are hurt they push them about and hurt them still more and the people transported with joy make the air resound with these acclamations "A qua ben fe, a qua ben fe la tarascou" (Well done, well done the tarasque). In order to augment the terror which this monster is meant to inspire on this commemorative festival, a man placed in the body of the animal makes him vomit young serpents by the eyes and mouth. On Whitmonday the tarasque is committed to the care of eight clever vigorous young men they wear white shoes and stockings on their head is a muslin cap and on their breast a shield charged with a figure of the animal they carry the tarasque as high as their waist, and direct its motions so as to express rage and fury sometimes they run violently then stop, then turn round abruptly prying out "La voulen may nostra tarascou" (We will always keep our tarasque). On the sides of this monstrous figure are handles at equal distances for carrying it more conveniently. It is made of wood and represents a dragon the body is formed of hoops covered with a painted calico and has on its back a sort of buckler thick set with strait horns. The grotesque figure which represents the tarasque is carried about the town of Tarascon every year on Whitmonday and on the feast of Saint Martha. Saint Martha who is mentioned in the Gospel caught it in her veil and subdued it. The tarasque, according to Gervase of Tilbury, the most ancient author who mentions it and who wrote about the beginning of the 13th century, was destroyed by Saint Martha and was a serpent of the leviathan kind which lived in the Rhone between Arles and Tarascon, and devoured those who descended the river. (left) 2005 Statue of the Tarasque by Pascal Demaumont you may wish to see an ancient statue in the Lapidary Museum of Avignon which depicts a river monster (right) Monument to Tartarin of Tarascon, the hero of a novel by Alphonse DaudetĮverybody has heard of Saint George and the dragon and there are several towns in France where some strange figure is carried about on certain festivals in commemoration of the delivrance of the inhabitants from some horrible monster. John Murray III - Hand-book for Travellers in France - 1843 They were at length delivered from the pest by St Martha, sister of Lazarus, since adopted as the patron saint of the town who conquered the monster, with no other weapon than the Cross and made him a prisoner with her girdle. Etymologists have been bold enough to derive its name from the Greek "turbazó" (to disturb) connecting it with the tradition of a dragon called Tarasque, which once upon a time infested the borders of the Rhone, preying upon human flesh to the great terror and disturbance of the inhabitants. Tarascon is a town of about 11,000 inhab. View of the town and of Collegiale Royale Sainte-Marthe from the Castle with the Alpilles in the background You may wish to see an introductory page to this section first. (relief at Glanum and quotation from Pliny: "It is More Similar to Italy than to a Province")
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